#Everton Forever Forever Everton

[martynrandles]

EVERTON 1-0 LEEDS UNITED | Premier League highlights!

Everton made it two home wins from two under Sean Dyche thanks to Seamus Coleman's second-half goal against Leeds United.

[2ducks-agoose]

POV: my ass waiting all the news about bbc ghosts acting like I going to see and bing it immediately and talk about it with everyone even though I’m an American I and probably not going to see season 5 for another year

[coyging]

[conorscoady]

[wileys-russo]

Hayley Raso + “you’re such an asshole I can’t believe I like you” + playing video games together ! 🧎‍♀️🫶🏼

world class II h.raso

"hay, baby you can't sleep yet." you wandered past the lounge and noticed the australian start to drift off, shaking her ankle as she groaned and opened her eyes.

"why?" hayley sighed deeply, rubbing her face and crossing her arms over her chest. "because the entire point of your jetlag plan is so you're back and fit to train a few days before your match babe." you smiled sympathetically.

"baby i could just take a tiny nap? then i'll still sleep tonight!" the brunette tried to bargain as you shook your head. "not part of the plan, and as both your girlfriend and a physio i have to ensure you follow that plan!" you laughed, gesturing for her to sit up.

you and hayley had met during her season at everton. you were only a trainee physio then, on work placement to finish your degree but you'd caught the australian's eye right away, the two of you getting along like a house on fire.

hayley was sat with a proud smile at your graduation, still only a friend to you then but not for a lack of trying, you only taking her attempts to flirt with you as banter and not yet clicking she wanted to be much more than just friends.

after you were fully qualified you quickly found yourself with a job offer in manchester for the devils, though still with 6 months left on your lease you stayed living where you had been and hayley amped up her efforts to woo you.

finally you clicked that she wasn't just being friendly on a drunken night out with some of her friends who were visiting from australia that she'd insisted you join, two of them quickly pulling you aside and asking when you and hayley had started dating it all suddenly made sense.

fast forward a couple of years and you'd both made the move to spain and were living in madrid, hayley still playing football and you working in a local sports clinic, working more with younger kids and teenagers who came up from the academies than directly with a team like you had been prior.

"you're no fun." hayley pouted with a frown as you shook your head. "maybe not, but neither is being medically benched because the team physios catch wind you're too tired to be cleared to play." you warned lightly, her eyes widening.

"you wouldn't!" hayley sat up properly now with a scoff. "i would love, if it meant you avoided any and all risk of injury." you promised softly, running a hand through her hair and shrugging.

"i wish you'd stayed working in england." hayley mumbled as her eyes began to once again feel heavy. "well aren't you absolutely charming." you rolled your eyes, turning to leave as a hand grabbed the back of your top.

"sorry! i'm just tired." hayley groaned, pulling you down onto the lounge and trapping you in between her arms and legs in a tight bear hug. "i know baby, but this plan will mean you aren't tired like this for very long." you twisted your neck to sweetly peck her lips.

"will you play fifa with me then? i was getting my ass kicked at tillies camp and i have to make sure i can hold my own before the next one. i didn't win a single game!" your girlfriend huffed, forever hotheaded and fiercely competitive much as it amused you to watch.

"love i've not got a clue how to play. in fact hay you banned me from playing because it was 'too hard to watch' remember?" you quirked an eyebrow as a guilty smile curled into her features.

"babe that was ancient history, i'm a new much more patient woman now." hayley grinned as you let out a loud sarcastic peal of laughter and tapped at her forearms to let you up.

"it wasn't even eight weeks ago raso." you hovered over her with a shake of your head, suddenly pulling back as she tried to sit up and capture your lips in hers. "oi! come here and give me a kiss." the australian frowned impatiently.

"no." you smiled, standing and heading toward the kitchen to make lunch for the pair of you, not at all surprised at the sound of footsteps hurrying after you.

"hayley!" you gasped as a body barrelled into you almost taking you down to the floor before your girlfriend grabbed your hand, spinning and dipping you, holding you just from falling as your heart raced.

"don't do that! its not funny." you smacked her chest with a thump as she laughed and you scowled, trying to move past her but before you could take another step her mouth was pressed against yours, feeling the winger smile into the kiss.

"you're a child sometimes." you pulled away and smacked her on the head with a magazine that was handy on the counter, only causing her to smile wider clearly proud of herself.

"that can wait! just one game? it'll help keep me awake." your girlfriend tugged you back from the kitchen with her best puppy dog eyes as you sighed. "fine. one game!"

"how the hell do you defend? i forget the controls!" you moaned in annoyance, only having had possession for about two seconds this entire half as your girlfriend knocked back goal after goal.

"hayley!" you huffed as she made her player do a backflip after another goal and cheered loudly in your ear, kissing your cheek apologetically from where you lay between her legs, your elbows resting on her knees and your back pressed to her front.

"you said this would be easy." you complained as the game stopped for half time. "no, i said i would put the match settings on easy." your girlfriend corrected as you pinched her thigh unimpressed with the answer.

"you're winning 8-0 surely you can spare five fucking minutes to show me the controls again?" you huffed before she could click to resume play, a lazy kiss pressed to your jaw as she dropped her remote and her hands settled over yours.

"when you attack you click this to pass, this to clear, this one to sprint and this one for a header or a short ball, and this to shoot." she explained slowly, pointing out the different buttons as you nodded.

"when you defend its the same sequence just different results. this one to chase, this one to tackle, this one to slide tackle and this one to clear." your girlfriend explained as again you nodded, doing your best to follow along.

"so does this mean you might let me keep the ball for more than thirty seconds and maybe even give me a pity goal?" you asked hopefully as the winger grabbed her own control and grinned.

"not a chance darlin." she stole a kiss and clicked resume before you could bite back with a remark. the second half you played a little better, but still you failed to score and conceded yet another five goals making it so hayley won with a whopping 13-0.

"that was humiliating." you scowled tossing the remote to the side onto the lounge and rolling your eyes. "thats life, win some you lose some. i feel a lot better about my results at camp now! thanks baby." her hands settled either side of your face and tilted your head back so she could press kisses across your skin.

"you're welcome." you rolled your eyes, gently tugging her hands away and sitting up, glancing to the screen only for a moment as your head snapped back to it and you frowned.

"world class!? you said you put it on beginner." you turned to glare at your girlfriend who shrugged, quickly turning off the tv and sitting up on her knees.

"did i? guess i must have clicked the wrong one babe, sorry." she grinned, pushing you to lay down as her face hovered over yours, not an ounce of remorse in her eyes.

"you're such an asshole, i can't believe i like you." "only like?" "barely tolerate." "what happened to love!" "maybe if you weren't a world class bad loser, you might get some."

[libraryofloveletters]

You Snooze, You Lose

John Stones x Reader

Warnings: childhood friends, losing touch, all the boys are so annoying, John is lowkey butthurt, a lot of assuming is happening, mentions of kidnapping, so many emotions, unspoken feelings and regrets, kyle is chief meddler, a little sexual humour, some friendly teasing, jack's love of gucci, divorce, alcohol and the consumption of.

Word Count: 3.9k

Author's Note: this is sooo self indulgent, shout out to pookie who helped me plot this <3 @themandaloriansdiaries

---

Childhood friends; a story as old as time..

Everyone knows how it ends, it either works out or it doesn't. You stay friends forever and live happily ever after or you love and you lose, you move on and they stay a chapter in the story of your life.

That's what John Stones was for you.

Your best friend from the age of 9 until you turned 19. The boy across the street, the one that walked you to school, the one you joined at practice, cheering him on from the stands at games.

While you had been focused on making it through school, John's interests were elsewhere. Football was all he thought of, a ball by his feet 24/7. He joined his boyhood club, Barnsley, and worked his way up until he signed for them in 2011. You still remember his debut, the sense of pride and joy you felt was incomparable to anything else in your life.

After a year of playing for the first team at Barnsley, he was off to Everton. John moved, of course, making it easier for him to be with the team. He still returned home but you saw less and less of each other.

By the time he was 22, he was signed to Manchester City and that was the end of the two of you, or rather whatever was left of your friendship.

Granted you were very proud of him and all he achieved, but it still hurt you to lose your best friend. It wasn't 22 year old y/n that was losing her best friend but 9 year old y/n who used to sit in the stands and watch him practice for hours on end.

There wasn't much you saw of John after that. Maybe a hello in passing if you saw him when he returned home to see his family but it became less and less frequent, until all you had left was seeing his face on tv.

8 years, that's how long it's been since you've seen John. Time flies when you've both moved on with your lives.

You find yourself in Manchester, rainy and grey as always but a familiar feeling of coldness reminds you of home.

The jewellers assured you that your ring would be ready in a week and you'd be back then to pick it up. Half past 3 and you've got time until you need to head to the station to get your train home so what better way to spend the time then to shop?

You find your way through the busy streets and into the shops, picking out a few odds and ends for the house, shopping basket on your arm as you make your way through the store.

A text had your focus, trying to keep in your corner as you walked and texted at the same time. You hadn't even noticed as you were walking straight into someone until you hit them. It felt as if you walked into a brick wall, the person was solid to say the least.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," you say to the person, bending down to pick up your phone before they turn to see who's walked into them.

"Watch where you're going- y/n?" The voice sounds familiar, you think to yourself. How did they know your name?

You look up as you stand up, it takes you only a second to realize who's in front of you. "Johnny," you smiled, the nickname rolling off your tongue as it did many years ago.

"How are you?" The man asks, pulling you into a hug. You felt yourself relax, the feeling of his arms around you reminded you of home in the best way possible.

You take a step back, "I'm good, how are you?"

"Can't complain," he smiled, blue eyes twinkling under the horrendous fluorescent lights. "What brings you all the way to Manchester?"

"You say that as if Manchester is in a whole other part of the planet," you laughed. "But I came to the jewellers to get my ring fixed and I had some time before my train so I decided to do some shopping."

John nods, glancing at his watch. "It's half 5 now, most of the trains are gone by now, no?"

Your eyes widened a bit, "you're joking." Checking your own phone to see he was in fact right, it was half 5 and the last train to Barnsley just left. "Oh shit."

"How are you gonna get home then?" He asks and you shrug. "I'll probably take an Uber."

"No," he shakes his head. "I can't let you do that. I'll take you home."

It's your turn to shake your head. "Well I can't let you do that."

"Why not?" His brows furrowed, making you smile. "You've probably got things to do, big footballer like yourself." You joked.

John rolled his eyes playfully. "Shut up. It's fine. I'll take you home, I can't let you take an Uber, you're too pretty. What if the Uber driver decides to kidnap you? I won't forgive myself, you know."

You can't help but laugh, obnoxiously loud as well. Your hand covers your mouth, giggling behind it as you often did as a child. The action brings back fond memories for John. He smiles at you, his heart warm and fuzzy in his chest.

"What if you tried to kidnap me? I haven't seen you in years, I don't know what you do in your spare time now."

He chuckles, crossing over his heart with his finger. "I promise I'm not a kidnapper, you can call my mum and confirm."

"Fine," you tell him. "You're certain I'm not putting you out by accepting?"

"100 percent," he takes your basket from you, putting it into his shopping cart, pushing it down the aisle as you follow him. "I didn't even ask, where do you live?"

"Barnsley."

John stops and turns around to look at you. "Seriously? You never moved?"

"I mean I don't live in my parents' house anymore but yes, seriously." You laughed, nudging his jaw back around so he can watch where he's going.

The two of you cash out, John insists on paying for your stuff even though you tell him it's fine. He says okay but then removes the little separator between your stuff and his, putting it together without you noticing. You roll your eyes at his childishness, thanking him regardless. Ever the gentleman, leading you back to the car and carrying the bags before opening the door for you.

Certainly his car is worth more than your house but you got in, sitting quietly as he drove towards Barnsley.

The music plays in the background as he drives. "How come you never moved? From Barnsley?"

"It's home," you tell him, "plus not all of us become big footballers that can afford mega mansions."

John laughs, glancing over at you to see the smile on your face. "Speaking of footballers, I saw your last game. You were good."

"Just good?" he teased and you nod. "Mhm hm. You know me, I've always been more of a Liverpool girl."

"Ew," he makes a face, you can't help but laugh; something you did often in his presence. The short time you two had been back together made you feel like a child again.

Sometimes you still couldn't wrap your head around it. John, your John, the little blond boy from across the street was a professional footballer, and a damn good one at that. Playing for a treble winning team and for England, John was living his childhood dream and you couldn't be more proud of your best friend.

If you could even call him that anymore.

It was a short drive once he got off the exit, you directed him to your place. You lived 10 minutes away from your parents, you two used to walk these streets as kids, it was home after all.

John pulled into the driveway, his car looking out of place compared to the neighbourhood but he got out, taking your bags out of the trunk for you.

There's a man coming out of the house, putting his coat on and fishing his car keys out of his pocket as you get out of John's car. "Thank you for preventing my maybe kidnapping," you tell John, taking the bags from him.

He glances at the man and then back to you. "Yeah," he smiles, "anytime." He reaches for his phone, handing it to you. "Give me your number, so we can stay in touch."

You put your number in, telling him to text you so you could save his number. "Don't be a stranger," you say as he pulls you into a hug. "Even footballers have friends."

John laughs, a big smile on his face. "I know, I promise to text."

"Thank you again, for everything."

"Anything for an old friend."

You smile, "bye Johnny."

"Bye y/n."

John gets back into his car, watching as you walk up the driveway to the man who was by the front door. He doesn't pull off, but instead watches the interaction between the two of you. The man on the porch kisses your cheek before walking down to the driveway.

It takes John a moment to connect the dots; the ring at the jewellers, the house that looked like it was a happy home, the man on the porch, the kiss on the cheek.

You were married.

John's heart feels like it's been broken again, in a whirlwind of emotions; disbelief, regret, and a sense of longing. The realization stings of missed opportunities and unspoken words. Every laugh shared, every whisper, every stolen glance filled with love, every memory cherished now carried a bittersweet feeling.

The knowledge that he never confessed his love. It was unknown to you but John had always thought of you as his.

You were his y/n, his best friend, his girl.

No matter how much he tried to move on, despite the two of you never being more than friends, there was no woman compared to you. That's a horrible way to live, he can hear Kyle's words in his head, his teammate telling him he's got to get on with his life.

But how could he move on knowing you were still out there? All but a phone call away and yet he never reached out. He moved on with his life, achieving all he hoped, all but one thing.

He moved on and so did you. No one's to blame but himself.

--

Kyle finds his teammate picking at his lunch, pushing the pieces of chicken around his plate with the fork. "Didn't your mum teach you it's rude to play with your food?" He says, glancing at the younger player.

John rolls his eyes in response. "Oh, we're moody today." Kyle takes a sip of his juice. "What's going on?"

"I saw y/n last week." John mumbles, staring at his half eaten lunch.

Kyle nearly spits out his juice and hits John in the face. "Y/n? As in.. your y/n?"

"Bumped into her at the store and took her home."

"What's the issue, mate? You took her home and what? The sex was that bad? I guess years of pining will do that to a guy."

"Shut up," John groans at his friend's crudeness. "We didn't have sex, you jackass. She's married."

"Oh," Kyle makes a face, and it's as if John can see the gears turning in his friend's head. He knows whatever is to come out of Kyle's mouth next is going to be ridiculous.

"Well, do you want me to beat up her husband? You can run in and save him, you'll look like the hero and she'll fall in love with you and leave her husband."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life," John chuckles, "but no."

Kyle shrugs, taking a piece of chicken off of John's plate and eats it. "I offered a solution and you don't want it. You can't beat yourself up over her being married. You snooze, you lose, Johnny boy."

"Have I ever told you how unhelpful you are?"

"All the time," Kyle smiles. John's phone buzzes on the table, the man glances over to see who it is. "Who is it? Is it her?" Kyle asks, sticking his head over to see who texted John.

He pushes Kyle's head away and reads the message.

To John: Hi Johnny, you're invited to dinner on Sunday.

To John: Well I'm inviting you now. Sunday at mine at 6pm, or anytime after that? Does that work for you?

"Say yes," Kyle tells him before he can even think what to reply. John shakes his head, "I don't want to have dinner with her and her husband."

"What if I beat him-" "Shut up, that's not an option."

Kyle rolls his eyes, taking the phone from John and replying before he could stop him.

From John: Hi y/n, thank you for the invite, 6 works great for me. Can I bring anything?

"What did you do?" John tries to get his phone back from Kyle but he runs over to the other table where Jack and Erling were sitting.

To John: Just your pretty face ;)

"Why would you do that, you idiot?" John smacks Kyle's arm, taking his phone back. "This is going to be the most awkward dinner of my life."

Jack turns to see John and Kyle fighting. "What's going on?"

"Johnny boy's got dinner with a married woman." Kyle says, telling everyone John's business. Erling makes a face. "A married woman? Is that like.. a kink for you?"

"No!" John groans, putting his phone into his pocket. "She's a friend that happens to be married. It's not what Kyle made it seem like." He glares at his friend, Kyle shrugs.

Jack asks the important question. "What are you going to wear? Do you want to borrow one of my Gucci shirts?"

"I'd rather not look ugly," John says, making Jack roll his eyes. "Opposed to.. you looking like yourself? So just double ugly?"

He huffs, "I'll wear something I have. It's only dinner."

"If you say so," Jack makes a face, clearly disapproving of John's fashion choices.

John grumbles as he walks off, "I hate all of you."

--

The days pass and John finds himself at your front door, heart beating out of his chest with nerves. He didn't want to have dinner with you and your husband. He wanted to turn back, to get into his car and leave.

He can't.

John's done scarier things, he's played matches that sent him into a spiral and yet, he's alive and well. One evening won't kill him.

It'll be in and out; dinner, small talk and then he'll leave with the excuse of an early training session.

He knocks, his palms sweaty. They take turns holding the bottle of wine as he wipes his palms on his jeans. The door opens, you're standing there with your hair over your shoulders and a big smile on your face.

"You made it," you stepped aside, "come in."

"I'm so sorry I'm late," he says as he walks in, noticing your bare feet he takes his shoes off. "I had a match and then we had the debrief and then I went home to shower, lost track of time and got stuck in traffic."

"Don't even worry about it," you tell him, shutting the door. John passes the bottle of wine over to you, "for you."

"I told you, you didn't need to fuss and bring anything." You accept the bottle with a smile regardless.

"It's no trouble, plus it's rude to show up empty handed." He says, watching as you walk to the kitchen. "Make yourself at home," you called out to him and John took that as his sign to poke around a bit.

He sticks his head into the living room, no sign of the husband. It's warm, homely. A couch against the back wall, tv by the window, fireplace along another wall. You've got photo frames hanging, some as decorations, some with actual photos.

There are three photos hung on the wall in the hallway, he stops to admire them. The middle frame had a little boy holding a baby wrapped up in a lavender blanket and the other two were what seemed to be school photos. The boy on the left and the girl on the right.

You peek out of the kitchen to see John looking at the photos. "Cute kids," he says. "Yours?"

Shrugging, you walk over to him. "Bought the house and they were on the wall, it seemed wrong to take them down."

"Oh," he makes a face, unsure what to say and you laugh, resting your hand on his bicep. "I'm kidding, they're mine. This is Sebastian," you point to your son and then your daughter. "This is Sophia."

"They're cute, they look like you."

"Genes are strong, Stonesy. Just like yours." You say, making him laugh. He nods as he knows what you meant. He and his sister were the same person, different genders.

"How old are they?" John asks while he follows you into the kitchen.

"Seb is 7 and Soph is 4."

"It's quiet, you'd think it'd be loud with little ones. Are they not home?"

"No," you handed him a glass of wine. "They're at their dad's for the weekend."

"Oh," John says, taking a sip of his wine. "You're not married?"

You make a face, one of disgust rather as you turned to your friend. "God no, ew. Why would you think that?"

John laughs at your face. "I just thought.. you said you had to get your ring fixed so I assumed your wedding ring."

"It's my blue one, the one you gave me for my birthday before you left for Everton." You tell him, checking on the roast in the oven.

John thinks back, he did gift you a ring for your 18th birthday, it was a few months before he signed for Everton. He thought it'd be a nice thing to give you, 18 was a big birthday plus he was officially making big boy money, not as much as he made now, but more than enough that he could afford to buy his best friend a nice gift for her birthday.

"I can't believe you still have that."

"Well I thought about pawning it off but the guy said he'd only give two pounds, so I figured I'd keep it. Sentimental value or something like that." You joked, John rolled his eyes at your words playfully.

"Yeah, yeah. Is there anything I can help with? I feel bad sitting around."

"Take the roast out of the oven? The pan is unnecessarily heavy." You set the plates on the table and John looks at you while walking to the oven. "You made a roast?"

"Well it's Sunday, isn't it?"

John nods, "it is. I haven't had a proper one in years, like actually sitting at the table and eating it. It's always left overs from mum because I had other stuff to do."

"It's so depressing," you chuckled. "Wait, I didn't even ask, can you eat this? Aren't you on some super footballer diet or something?"

"It's fine," he tells you, carrying the pan to the table. "One night won't kill me."

Dinner was quiet, the two of you chatted and caught up on as much as you can about the last 8 years. You talked about family, yours and his, he told you stories of his teammates and shared little memories he cherished from your childhood, you told him about your kids and how they drive you mad everyday.

It was nice, it was the grown up version of eating Chinese take out at 3am in the kitchen as teens.

You find yourself on the couch, each of you with a glass of wine and the almost empty bottle on the coffee table.

"I wonder, since you thought I was married, are you hiding a relationship?" You asked, finishing off your glass before setting it on the table. "Am I going to see myself in a headline somewhere? John Stones spotted cheating on wife with mystery woman." You both laughed at the made up headline.

"No," he shook his head. "I'm single, no need to worry." He mirrored your action and set the empty glass on the table before leaning back into the couch. "But if I can ask, what happened between you and your.. husband? Were you married ?"

"I was," you nodded. "We thought we could make it work but between work and the kids, we have no time for each other and we were miserable, even when we were together. It wasn't good for us nor was it good for the kids. So instead of the kids having one unhappy home, we decided to call it quits and let them have two happy homes."

"That's very mature of you both."

"I'd like to think so." You smiled. "What about you? How come you're single? You're young and handsome and talented."

"You think I'm handsome?" He raised an eyebrow. You roll your eyes, laughing as you smack his arm lightly. "Shut up, you know what I meant."

"Well, I never moved on.. from someone in the past."

"Oh.. someone broke your heart?" You shifted to face him fully. "Tell me everything."

John smiles, some things never change. "Sorta, I mean, not really. It was a long time ago and when I left home, I left her behind and I regret that. I shouldn't have left like that, we should have figured something out. I should have reached out but I didn't. I think I wasn't sure how to, so I never did.''

You nod, thinking. You understood what he meant but you were trying to figure out who he was talking about so you started naming off the girls he used to see while he was living in Barnsley and Liverpool.

"It's none of them," he says, smiling at your effort.

"So who is it?" You asked, brows furrowed. "I know all your exes."

John smiles at you, the twinkle in his eyes as he looked at you was a dead give away, and it hits you like a freight train. "It's.. me?" You look at him, your cheeks bright red when he nods.

It reminds him of when you two were younger, the two of you giggling until you're out of breath and red in the face.

"So pretty," he whispers, going to pinch your cheek. "Shut up," you mumble, swatting his hand away. John smiles, hand cupping your cheek.

A hand wraps around his wrist, the two of you looking at each other. In that moment, years of unspoken words hung in the air. Without a single word said, they both knew what the other was feeling - a feeling that had been buried deep within you both for so long.

With a soft smile, John leaned in, closing the gap between you. Your lips met in a kiss, pulling you into him. As they sat on the couch, still intertwined, John and y/n felt a sense of peace wash over them.

It was as if the weight of years of unspoken emotions had finally been lifted off their shoulders.

John's forehead pressed to yours, "do you know how long I've been waiting to do that?"

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to do that?" You giggled, kissing him once more.

--

tags: @thesnailus @alwaysclassyeagle @mehrmonga @callsignvenus @kmc1989 @ironmaiden1313 @muglermami

reply/send an ask to be added to my football taglist!

[olivia2arsenal]

Lia Walti x Williamson! Reader - Everton

a/n: did say my other fic would be out on sunday but life’s just got really hectic so here’s a smaller one while i finish up with the other one

warnings: none!

————————————

i’ve known wally since forever, her and my older sister, leah, have been best friends since i could remember

just like my sister i had worked my way through the age ranks at arsenal before eventually making my debut at 18

i played along side leah as the cb duo and learnt so much off my older sister

there is a massive gap in our age difference between us two but that’s never really been a problem and if anything made our friendship stronger

wally and i had been seeing each other, much to leah’s dismay, off and on for a few months a couple of years ago before i eventually found the nervous and asked her to be my girlfriend

that’s how we found ourselves here today in a two year relationship and happy as ever

“i’ve got a bad feeling about today” wally said as she came and sat herself in my cubby, myself just finishing getting ready to go out into the tunnel

i knocked my knee against hers

“you’ll be fine wally, what’s making you feel like that?” i asked softly as i slipped my match shirt on

“someone’s going to get injured today” she shook her head, i placed my hand into hers and nudged her chin to look at me

“if it’s really distracting you then tell jonas and i’m sure you can sit this one out” i said softly as she shook her head

“it’s too soon until the match kicks off, i’ll be fine” she said as she pushed herself up and out of my cubby, making her way to the changing rooms door

yet she was far from fine…

—————

i remember every single detail of the injury

we were in the second half, lotte and me as the centre backs because leah was out with an injury

everton were on the outskirts of the box when lia pushed out too apply pressure

i watched her get the ball and start to dribble before aggies went studs up into her ankles

i winced at the tackle, wally immediately collapsing to the floor and letting out a scream

i was still far back from eveyone and could see everything going on, i watched how lotte and katie push aggie while other shouted at her

i got it, if it was another day with a player that wasn’t so young i probably would have done the exact same thing

but this was different, aggie was still learning, she didn’t mean the tackle and clearly was inexperienced

i’ve played with aggie at england and she’s the nicest person ever, she didn’t purposely mean to hurt lia and was just eager to prove herself

i also knew that she was most likely going to receive a lot of hate on social media from this

of course the first thing i wanted to do was make sure lia was alright but i had to make sure aggie was okay and take her away from this situation

i pushed katie and lotte out of the way while also pushing the few others that were letting their anger be known from their words

they had every right to be mad, as a team we were already struggling with injuries and this was another one added to the list

i wrapped my arm around aggie’s shoulder

“come on” i said sofltly as i walked her away from the situation, i could see the tears building up in her eyes as we separated ourselves from the massive group near the box

“i didn’t mean to y/n” she shook her head as she bent down and covered her face

“ay i know aggie, i know” i said as i pulled her back up and pulled her into a hug

“it’s a learning experience okay, wally will be okay and the girls are just caught up in the moment” i reassured her as i felt her nod against my shoulder

“you’re eager to prove yourself, that’s it, you weren’t purposely going for her ankle okay” i added as one of her teammates walked over and smiled gratefully at me

i let her take over as i jogged back over to wally, now my whole attention was on her

“where the fuck have you been?” katie snapped as i bent down next to lia and held her hand, trying to get her to take some of the pain relief

“not the fucking time katie” i said sternly back as lia looked up at me, my face softening when i saw her looking for reassurance in my eyes

“we will get through this together love” i said softly as i brushed some hair out of her face

“lia we are going to have to put you on a stretcher” the physio said as they started to move her onto the stretcher, wally wincing as they did

eventually they lifted her up on the stretcher and started to walk her to the tunnel, fans clapping for wally

aggie received a red card, as expected, and started to make her way to the tunnel- head down clearly still upset from it all

i patted her on the back as she passed me before the match continued, now having to fight the mental battle of wanting to go and see lia

————

i burst into the medical room where wally was, her eyes shooting up to mine and face softening once she saw it was me

“careful you’ll take the door of its hinges” she teased as i made my way over to her, eyes never leaving her ankle

“fuck wally” i muttered as she placed her hand under my chin and moved my eyes to hers

“i’ll be fine” she said softly as there was a knock on the door, both of us turning to the door

“hey, is it okay if i come in?” aggie asked as she popped her head into the room

“of course” wally smiled softly at her

“i just wanted to say sorry, i really never meant to hurt you” aggie apologised as she walked over

“i know you didn’t, i know you eager to prove yourself that’s all” lia reassured her softly

“that’s exactly what y/n said to me” aggie laughed slightly

“great minds thing alike” wally teased

“well i’ll leave you two alone, i just wanted to say sorry” aggie said while wally nodded with a soft smile

i walked aggie to the door, patting her on the shoulder and praising her for how mature she had been with the whole thing

i turned back around once she left and made my way back to wally, finding her hand with mine as we talked- trying to distract ourselves from her injury

“i’m proud of what you did today” wally said softly to me as i gave her a puzzled look

“instead of doing what the rest of the girls did, you looked after aggie and made sure she was okay before you came to me” wally said as she squeezed my hand gently

“i was once in her shoes, having done the exact same thing with the exact same reactions from the other players and it didn’t feel nice at all” i said shaking my head at the memory of when i was younger only just starting my professional career

we could only hope the hate aggie received online was going to be small…

—————————————

a/n: hope you all liked this, it was short but just wanted to get something out quickly!

[espectres]

" ... me ? " It sounds crazy at first, something that wouldn't even cross his mind if it weren't suggested, because what does he has to do with such a legendary beast?  He who is a false prince, son of a traitor and cruel king, he who doesn't belong as high as he stands and wouldn't be any significant had it not for his father's doing. The crown he is meant to wear would bleed over his head with the pain and anguish of every life taken without remorse and every tormented soul that lived on, and he refuses to let that ever happen.  Is his resistance and fight not enough ?   The question washes over him like freezing waters, the cat remains palpable and radiant within, it lives on to affirm the abomination of it all, but Shou has never denied it to begin with.  

" Of course I'm not, I'm not even on his side! That wouldn't make any sense ...  "  He counters with barely contained nerve and whatever shred of confidence left within him, and soon realizes that it's the last there is. He is quick to falter then, an unpleasant weight falling to the bottom of his stomach, a certain bitterness laces his words. " I'm not his beast ... I can't be ... "  

What were the possibilities ?  Well, there were endless and wondrous. A cake can make you into a giant, a mouse can teach you how to wield your sword, would it be far to say that your neck is the one sought after ?  He's been a problem for a while now, but only as the cat. A wanted criminal in the eyes of his father and the court, a pest, a traitor, a target for hunters of bounty and sports alike. But he couldn't care any less, and any moments of fear or doubt were buried deep in his garden as he left to become the cat for another day. Because the cat isn't afraid, the cat helps those in need regardless of what anyone thought, the cat doesn't really listen to anyone, but the cat is on the people's side and he is willing to die before leaving it.

But is that the way it's meant to be ? As some sort of sacrifice instead of a fighter for justice ?  

" My father ... he did hide the sword, "  He explains slowly, having realized his contempletive silence has stretched for a little too long. " He took it from the Queen's White Knight after killing him, but ... but that doesn't mean anything. "  His shakes his head, eyes losing focus. His father, cold eyes and an apathetic heart. He doesn't remember the last time seeing him laugh, or the last time he showed any kindness, or the last time his father looked at him without making him feel like an inconvience.

Shou remembers a song, though. Something his mother used to sing, ( And how come it's so easy to remember her instead ? ) Something about the beast before the tyrant even came to be one, before there was any prophecy or awaited savior.  

Beware the Jabberwock, my son.

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!  

The soft lilting and humming has never left his mind, and it suddenly feels like every clue endned with him, and every sword glistenting in the darkness of his father's overwhelming shadow touched against his chest, pressed in carefully to make sure he'd bleed to the last drop before tearing his heart out or taking his head. Why does the poem sound like it's describing a cat ?  Why did his mother leave ?  Did she know something terrible is bound to happen to her son ? Did she fear for her heart and mind upon witnessing it ?  Why does his father hide the vorpal sword instead of using it to end every enemy and put all under his mercy ?  Did he really care enough to listen to tales and poems and do something to keep his only son safe ?

Does your father really not love you ?

" I don't know! " It hurts to admit, feels like his heart is already trying to tear out of his ribcage on its own, like it's easier to do instead of facing the truth, or the ambiguity at this case. And it hurt further to realize his outburst,  shame and guilt cling to his overwhelmed mind  as an excuse, and Daisuke has only been worried for his sake, he doesn't deserve to deal with Shou's confusing emotions and useless attempts at keeping composure. His gloved hands cover his face, palms pressing at his eyes to try and seal away any further overflow or emotions or worse, any tears.

" I don't know ... How- how am I supposed to ?  He never talks to me outside of orders, every time he looks at me it feels like he's just seeing through me, everyday it feels like he's growing into … some sort of monster that wouldn't recognize even me at some point. "  All that's left of a man he used to cling to and play with, Shou understands now how many faces that man has grown to wear. A tyrant, a loving husband, a cold-blooded murderer, and a father, a face Shou could never forget, and apparently, couldn't ever hate.

" What if he's already that way ? What if I try to talk to him and all he starts seeing is a traitor and someone that stands in his way, better to get rid off ? " He finally feels safe enough and let his hands down, but he only stares at them, there is a pain to his arms that he can't explain, and terror makes a place for itself in the mincule tremors of his fingers. “ Even if what you're saying is true, and I turn out to be the Jabberwocky. The only reason I could see him keeping the sword is so that he could personally take my life, the champion wouldn't find anything to slay then. ”

" And then the champion wields the vorpal sword and slays the Red King's Jabberwocky ! Prompting the subjects to gratefully turn against their cruel ruler, and then finally returning the crown of Underland to the White Queen where it belongs. " He speaks with the air of a narrator adamant on catching the attention of crowds, even though his audience is just one fellow prince listening intently. Shou even strikes a dramatic pose while he's at it, chest puffed out, and a small dagger in place of a sword he points around aimlessly. He'd have used his real sword, but he left that back home!

But it doesn't take long for his grand story to end, and the greatness that surrounds its events deflates, just like Shou's whole being as the hand around his dagger falls to the side. " ... Or at least that's how it's supposed to go. People claim it's a prophecy, but I've always felt like it's just something they made up. " To lessen the suffering of the wait, to give themselves some sort of hope. He shrugs, not even trying to conceal his lack of enthusiasm.

" It's supposed to be in our castle, the sword, but no matter how far I've searched, I can't seem to find it. " He crosses his arms, features troubled and irritated as he looks over at Daisuke for a reaction. " Sometimes I wish this story never existed. Maybe then the people wouldn't just sit and wait for someone to come and save them. "

@espectres

who could have kept themselves from applause before such a well-acted spectacle ? it's everything it needs to be ; brave heroics and legendary artifacts and a mighty fiend that needed slaying for the sake of preserving peace and establishing order , yet it's this very thought alone that draws a poor aftertaste ; poison to the cup of wine . daisuke's hands still quietly clap for the other come the end of their soliloquy , in a timid , nervous-laugh accented flutter no different from the likes of which he politely acknowledged and promptly excused the occasional juggler , jester , and whatever joke-telling what-have-yous , put before him in an attempt to entertain if not outright impress . after which , he would always retreat alone into his silent , somewhat somber contemplations , only this time , his own audience does not bow and vanish from before him , simple as it would have been for them to do so .

' i don't think ... it's a bad story , ' he tries to confess after a while , even if he would have liked to hear more about the jabberwocky ; more about the horrible monster that supposedly went far beyond words and description , and thus the pitiful extends of human comprehension . you are too kind , his mentors had told him once , and now the words come rushing back , quick as the dagger glint he had caught in their eyes , aiming for his throat --- the cowled sneer of a plot-and-schemer who , at the very least , hadn't dared to commit any sort of treasonous ( just and righteous --- ? ) act of defiance yet . was death to always be the cost of life ? was it wrong to long to face what only should have been boldly slain ? he's too naive , too soft-hearted ; his tastes are poor and absurd to believe in otherwise , he has failed a family of usurpers and tyrants .

yet silence and all its thick , heavying darkness , the boy believed , could be far worse than even a made-up prophecy of hope and faith . a king too could indulge in a little superstition and hobby , but they would always be a king before all else , demanded action and reality no matter how many amateur , mediocre works of art and imagination they lovingly attempted to produce . for just a moment the niwa thinks that he finally sees , at the very least , the hollow space of what he was truly missing . the proud posture and radiant inspirations , the sort of charisma that could bind anyone to a cause , to the pointed stretch of nobility ... to another prince that wanted to overthrow and overcome his own father . was this the sort of ideal everyone had always expected out of him ? something about it still feels strange and painfully unlike himself ; daisuke's head gently shakes after a moment , and a grave and loathsome thought strikes him thereafter .

' it might be stupid , but i can't help but worry . ' it's a simple story ; a simple prophecy . a tale about a lock and a key , a cause and effect , a sword run through someone --- something , that thus could have been anyone , anything , like a so-called villain made out to be a martyr . ' i'm not an oracle . i only know what i think should be right and wrong , like your father ... understanding that he's being cruel , and taking things too far . ' and if he didn't come to understand any of it , then what was left ? this horror , this omen of extremes ? privy to each other's secrets and curses ; the playful , innocent boys meeting under daylight perpetually transforming into wild , terrifying things under moonlight --- the roles of their lives and thoughts of the people ever-shifted with their forms , until daisuke suddenly feels sick , his heart beating as if each pound was little by little , ripping and tearing at its very own strings .

' do you ever think ... the jabberwocky might be you ? ' were foul news ever brought to him then he'd weep senselessly for the one skinned and bled ; the peace of a country would never have been worth its prince , one perpetually out of its people's thoughts and mind , injured or slain . ' if your father knows , if it's supposed to be in the castle in the first place , then maybe he's the one who hid it . ' likewise , he too would have been the one to wield it ; to catch a grinning cat and turn it helpless wild hare . ' what if --- what if it's not trying to tell you to fight , what if it's just a warning ? ' what if nobody involved in a prophecy was actually listening to any part of it ? ' there has to be some way , somebody that can reach him . before any of this --- anything like that happens . shou-kun , i don't want to see you in danger ... '

he didn't want to imagine the bright , roaring cheers . the ensuing confusion . the sinking , far , far too late realizations ; the same sort he had imagined at the center of a blazing , hellish azumano , its skulking haunt and prized demon finally captured amidst frenzy and chaos , the foolish king who only wanted to love his people howling unrecognized at the stake . ' ... isn't there something else we can do ? shou-kun , do you really ... do you really have to keep fighting , like this ? ' losing innocence , cleaning blood off his hands before it could rust , and all by himself , at that ; this felt wrong , too . ' does your father really not ... not love you , not even a little bit ? not even enough to try --- to try to listen to you about something like this ? '

[halfturn]

liverpool football club is just incredible isn't it... we always seem to get these fairytale moments like the miracle of istanbul, corner taken quickly, origi's winner vs everton, ali's last minute header, the 2024 carabao cup final etc etc i could go on forever.... how many times have we fought the odds and prevailed? like these moments are the stuff we'd typically only dream of yet they happened and we've lived through them. and how lucky we are to have lived through them

[whitehartlane]

HARRY KANE (10) & SON HEUNGMIN (7) OF TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR The greatest partnership to ever exist in the world of football. “When you turn, I will be always there.”

BBC Sport / Kane and Son break the all-time record for Premier League goal combinations / The Guardian / Kane-Son trademark celebration during Liverpool 1-1 Tottenham, 07th May 2022 / Kane-Son trademark celebration during Manchester United 1-6 Tottenham, 04th October 2020 / Kane-Son trademark celebration during Aston Villa 0-4 Tottenham, 09th April 2022 / Kane-Son trademark celebration during Tottenham 2-0 West Ham United / Kane on Twitter after assisting Son on 4 goals against Southampton / Tottenham 1-0 Burnley, 26th Oct 2020 / Nice to Mich You, Son Heungmin / Premier League / Kane and Son hug during Manchester City 2-3 Tottenham, 19th Feb 2022 / Kane and Son hug during Tottenham 1-0 Crystal Palace, 20th Sept 2015 / Kane consoles Son during the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City / Kane and Son celebrate during Tottenham 5-2 Southampton, 26th Dec 2017 / Commentator on the Kane and Son partnership / Tottenham 2-0 Arsenal, 06th Dec 2020 / Caption from ‘Heungmin Son and Harry Kane guess their Premier League goal combinations’ / Stray Kids, I am YOU / Kane and Son celebrate during a 6-1 game against Leicester City, 18th May 2017 / Kane and Son celebrate during a 4-0 game against Everton, 13th Jan 2018 / Kane on Twitter / Frank O’Hara, ‘Morning’ / Kane wins the Golden Boot 20/21 / Son wins the Golden Boot 21/22 / Kane assists Son against Southampton / Caption from ‘Heungmin Son and Harry Kane guess their Premier League goal combinations’ / Mitski, Francis Forever / YouTube: Record breakers! Kane & Son react to becoming Premier League’s most deadly duo! / FootballJOE on Twitter, referencing Son’s trademark goal celebration, the ‘camera,’ through which he is looking at Kane / Gang of Youths, ‘Achilles Come Down’ / Kane and Son celebrate their goal against Arsenal / Kane on his relationship and link-ups with Son / Son and Kane on Instagram / Kane and Son after Kane assisted Son on four goals against Southampton / Tottenham 3-2 Ajax, 08th May 2019 / cr. Shaun Botterill, Getty Images / Commentator on the Kane and Son partnership / Tottenham 3-2 Manchester City, 19th Feb 2022 / Caption from ‘Heungmin Son and Harry Kane guess their Premier League goal combinations’

[kierantierney3]

hey, i loved your other garnacho post so i have a request for him :)

could you just do some ig posts between him and reader of her at his football games and supporting him and united? bonus if she’s there to see his bicycle kick at the man u v everton match. could the fc be sabrina again pls? thank youu❤️

Hiiiii i want to apologise that they took so long to come out. Worked out well with his 2 goals against Aston Villa.

Masterlist

Face claim: Sabrina Carpenter

———

yourusername

liked by garnacho7, user7 and 121,901 others

yourusername Don’t know if you saw my boyfriend goal today 💁🏼‍♀️ Good trip to Liverpool.

View all comments

garnacho7 My girl ❤️

user7 What 👏🏻 a 👏🏻 goal 👏🏻

user12 Unreal both you and your boyfriend

user I don’t know if i want to be you or be your friend or girlfriend.

yourusername

liked by garnacho7, masonmount and 101,810 others

yourusername 48 hours in Turkey. 🇹🇷

view all comments

garnacho7 Thanks for the support my love 😍

user Can’t believe we are going out of the champions league :(

user Glad he scored but we should have won 🥲

yourusername

liked by garnacho7, kobbiemainoo and 101,729 others

yourusername Christmas period spent well. Saw my bf score a double and got too spent it with him. 🫶🏻 Hope everyone had a good christmas!

view all comment

garnacho7 Thank you for the support ❤️ i love you

^yourusername Always and forever 🫶🏻^

user I love you guys 😭

user Still only Boyfriend? i thought he would have popped the question on christmas 🫢

—-

Apologise it’s short i’m sorry.

[martynrandles]

Everton Football Club is in mourning following the death of Chairman Bill Kenwright CBE, who passed away peacefully last night aged 78, surrounded by his family and loved ones.

RIP BlueBill

NSNO COYB UTFT

EVERTON FOREVER, FOREVER EVERTON

[longeyelashedtragedy]

I don't quite understand why Man City having 115 charges against them has everyone up in arms other than the fact it's taking far too long to come to some conclusion.

Are they not the best team because they've won the premiership 3 or is it 4 times straight?

How does it make them better or should I say why are other teams not as good/worse.

What is the difference between them and Arsenal in terms of how the team gels and play ball?

I only ask because has Man City bought greatness from somewhere and if so where can you buy it from. Why don't other teams buy greatness too.

I'm not trying to be rude I really don't understand what the charges have to do with how well they play and the teams they beat along the way.

Of course, you are free to ignore this.

The "115 charges" phrase is a stand in for what people see as extreme financial corruption that has yet to go punished or even explored. I understand that "115 charges" might take longer to set a date for, or whatever, than whatever happened with Everton and Forest, but it leaves a bad taste in people's mouths. I think at this point people are less annoyed by the actual amount of charges than what they feel it represents.

The alleged corruption doesn't change their style of play or Pep's abilities, no. I genuinely don't enjoy how they play or their vibes on the pitch. That's a personal preference. I don't see them gelling on the pitch and loving each other the way Arsenal does. That's subjective, sure.

Where I think it does give them an advantage is the more money you have, the more quality players you can acquire. Then the more you keep winning because of the quality of players, the more it will attract the top names or big up-and-coming players (our Joško for example) to join the team. I think there are so many teams that play more engaging football than City--again, subjective. Arsenal had some dreamy and exhilarating games in 2024. So where the money causes the problem is squad depth. We see Arsenal as having a big squad depth issue. It was marginally better than like, two seasons ago or even last season where we had virtually NO defense left so if one of the starting back 4 had to go off we were playing a 16 year old, Cedric, and a prayer back there. But look even at today--it could have gone so much worse than it did. We were without one of our best and most reliable players, Bukayo Saka, and then lost Big Gabi in defense. Gabinelli and Leo were struggling to score, thank god Kai stepped up in the end, but once we lost those key players the bench had very limited options. For reliable backup goal scorers, it's even worse, and I love these guys who got subbed on, truly I mean no disrespect for them, Reiss, Emile, Gabby etc just have not been having the most solid season. It happens. But for City, I feel like they just have a robust bench. They can rotate, make confident subs. That plays such a massive role especially toward the end of the season when players are tired mentally and physically, when players are injured.

And it's really hard to declare that City are the "best" team when Arsenal ended two points behind them. You know? If we'd just won one of our 5 lost games...And aside from our peculiar Villa loss in April, which you know, sometimes there's a bad luck one-off, we showed such a winning and strong mentality by fixing whatever problem was causing our wretched streak at Christmas. Before this season I always doubted our ability to come back from crushing losses, but this year's team has shown differently.

I guess other teams don't have as much money to buy greatness--that's again where the "115 charges" comes in. Also, for Arsenal we seem weirdly bad at selling our players for lots of $$$$. People also believe that a nation rich in oil has "unlimited" money as opposed to a regular old millionaire. Idk how true that is or how true that'll be forever but this idea makes people nervous about competing in the market.

I understand where you're coming from with your questions. I think we'd be bitter enough if City just, kept winning, but the fact that there is enough evidence of extreme financial corruption to have 115 charges--even if it's just alleged, even if it's somehow...not true in the end idk, that makes the "success" tainted for many of us, and is more frustrating, because it feels like other teams don't have the same kind of chances.

[footballerimaginess]

Small Town Christmas

credit to @masnmount for the gif x 

This is based on the film ‘Small Town Christmas’ I have changed a few details. Let me know if you want part 2? John Stones  - Word Count: 1,541  “How is this even happening? I have my first book here, look it is all published and in my hands” you grinned as you took your book and felt it with your own hands.  Your agent passed you yet another book to sign for your book signing when you headed to Liverpool.  “I feel like my arm is about to fall off, I can’t believe I am doing this. Going to the village where this book was based off finally. It feels like this has been forever in the making” you smiled as you finally put all of your signatures on your book, breathing a sigh of relief as you looked at all the books and what an achievement that you had made.  “So we ready for tomorrow?” she asked you as you lifted your glass of water and nodded, before taking a sip. 

“I am actually, but scared” you replied as your agent Sophia raised her eyebrows. 

“Why would that be?” she asked as you took a deep breath.  “I haven’t been there for years, Liverpool. My ex and me, well yeah that story. I met him there when he was playing football. I guess he is the main reason behind the story behind this book. He inspired me I suppose, I don’t know how I feel if I’m honest. Makes me feel all emotional” you bit your bottom lip, to try and stop yourself from crying.  “See you in the morning” she gave you a quick cuddle before watching her leave as you packed everything away and headed back home.  The next arrived, your taxi beeped outside your apartment complex as you peeked out of the window as you picked up all the books and suitcase before heading downstairs.  “Morning y/n, ready for your long journey” the taxi driver smiled as he put your cases and box of books in the car for you.  “Morning, yes I am ready. Thank you” you smiled as you climbed into the car and put your airpod in as you knew it was going to be a long journey.  Making sure to make notes for any upcoming book ideas that you had, jotting them all down for future references.  - The journey was finally over, getting to your hotel making you stretch your entire body out as your driver took out your belongings.  “Have a safe trip ma’am” he smiled as you nodded before handing him a tip for driving you such a long way and handing him some snacks that you bought him.  “Oh thank you, you don’t need to do that” you shook your head.  “No I do, I wanted to show you how appreciative I am of you for taking me here. This has been so far and it was such a smooth journey. Take care of yourself” you handed him over all of the snacks I got.  You took a deep breath as you walked into the hotel and went to the check in desk as you had a lunch meeting soon.  “You made it, let’s go and get lunch now. But how does it feel to be here again?” your agent smiled as she approached you in a warm embrace.  “Hey, it feels okay I think. It does bring back bad memories but I guess that is just natural. Let’s go and eat, I am starving” you smiled as she pointed to the closest restaurant to have your lunch meeting.  You sat down at the table, scanning the menu as you both ordered the same thing, chicken fajitas with a side order of fries as you got your notepad out as you showed her all your notes you’d taken in the car.  “Wow, you have planned a lot here. I wasn’t expecting that-” she paused as she scanned the page, pointing with her manicured nails as she let out a loud laugh.  “This one is hilarious” she smirked as you re-read your idea. “Oh yeah, I love that one too. I have so many planned, I can’t wait to get started once this is over with” you smiled as you both finished your meals and drinks.  “Right, onto the book shop” you smiled as you walked along the road, recognising where you and John had your first date while he was still playing for Everton.  “You okay?” she noticed that you’ve stopped and were no longer walking beside her.  “Yeah, just looks familiar with some of this” you smiled as you carried on walking with her as you made your way into the cute little bookshop.  As you walked in, the smell of books hit you as you saw your books on the side with your face on.  You laughed as you walked over to them. “Excuse me, would I be able to sign these books?” you asked the staff member as she looked over at you puzzled.  “Oh right? Sure” she smiled, carrying on with her work as you signed all the books and people were looking over as they wanted to see what you were doing as you took a step back to see people buying the book. Which instantly made your heart melt.  Meanwhile at training, John was sitting in the canteen scrolling through his phone as he always did at lunch time.  While he was scrolling, he saw the most recent photo of you appear on his Instagram feed. His heart melted a little bit, knowing that he was so proud of you even though the break up was very messy but he knew deep down that this was your dream and to see you achieve it was amazing.  As John investigated some more, he noticed that you were doing a book signing later that evening.  He picked up his jacket and sprinting to his car, ignoring all the shouts from his team mates as he knew he needed to be somewhere.  “So we ready for this signing?” you got changed into another outfit ready to meet everyone.  “I am nervous, this is my first book signing. I hope people come and see me” you smiled as you fixed your hair in the mirror.  “Course people will, come let’s go darling” she smiled as you made your way out to go and see how many people turned up.  The book signing was incredible, there were just so many people turned up and even gave you gifts which completely shocked you.  As you were finishing up at the book signing, you were collecting your bags.  “Hi” you turned around as you heard the man’s voice which confused you as there were no men in the room at the time. As you stood up, you noticed who was standing there. “John” you mumbled as you looked straight up at him.  “What are you doing here? How did you know where I was” you asked him as you waved to your agent who nodded with a small smile appearing on her face.  “I wanted to see you, I saw online that you had your book signing here” you laughed as you shut the door behind you.  “So when did that mean you had to come and see me when last time I checked we haven’t spoken in about 4 years? Or however long when you fucked off” you sighed as you checked your phone as you paused.  “I am sorry about that, I can explain” John nervously replied as he itched the back of his neck looking anxious for your reply.  “Sure you can” you shrugged as you carried on walking at a fast pace as you wanted to try and get some dinner before you headed off.  “Are you ignoring me or something? When did you all of a sudden become Usain Bolt?” you rolled your eyes as you thought by now that he would have gotten the hint that was staring at him in the face.  “No, I just want to get food. I don’t want you here John, just get the picture” you felt him grab your arm as he walked alongside you.  “Just hear me out, I am sorry for what happened all those years ago. I promise I did try and contact you” you nodded and waited for a better response from him.  “I sent you a letter when I left, assuming how frosty you are being with me that you never got it. I said everything I wanted to in that letter. I never ever meant to hurt you, I guess I was stupid and should’ve spoke to you sooner. I regret that now and what I did to you. I hurt you and i shouldn’t have” he shrugged as he tried to grab your hand.  “I didn’t get a letter at all John. I accept your apology but I don’t want to see you, you are dating someone else. How would they like it that you are here grovelling to me?” you sighed.  “I am not seeing anyone, haven’t for a while” he shrugged.  “Mm okay, well I would just like to go and get dinner now John. Thanks for coming to see me and saying sorry, have a good night” you waved as you walked off leaving John shocked that he hadn’t got the response he was intending to.  What was going to happen next....  Part 2 maybe? Taglist: @footballffbarbiex​ @odegaardsblues​ @football-and-fanfics​ @percervall​ @bluemoonstonesy​ @laurasstufff1 @leddows​​ let me know what you think of this imagine and if you want to be tagged x 

[the-lancasters]

Everton House, Windenburg

AN: Apologies to those wishing death upon Andrew. He still alive and playing on Marcus' sense of duty!

Previous| Beginning  | Next

Transcript under the cut

Marcus – Dad?

Andrew - Marcus? Is that you?

Marcus - Yes its me Dad

Andrew - So I'm not dead yet.

Marcus - No, the doctor said the surgery went well.

Andrew - Marcus. I'm not going to be around forever. I may have gotten a reprieve today, but my time will come. And when that time comes I want to be sure that you will continue my legacy. Which means no distractions.

Marcus - Sarah isn’t a distraction, she could be an ally.

Andrew - No one with legs that look like hers could be anything other than a distraction.

Marcus - What do you need me to do?

Andrew - You just need a bit of course correction. You have done so well until now to rise through the ranks as quickly as you have. Now you need to stay focused, Charles will be king and you want him to bring you with him.

--

Sarah - Marcus? What are you doing here?

Marcus - My job.

Sarah - I was glad to hear your father's surgery went well - I thought you wouldn’t be here today

Marcus - No clearly, I am needed more here. This event tomorrow is a mess, the protocols are all wrong, and you need to fix this now.

Sarah - Marcus. We promised we wouldn’t do this anymore

Marcus - Do what? Hold each other and this household to the standard that it requires?

Sarah - Bark orders at each other

Marcus - All I’m looking for is some standards around here, I don’t think that is being unreasonable

--

Victoria - How is Marcus doing?

Sarah - Why are you asking me?

Victoria - Maybe because you work in the same office? I saw he was in today.

Sarah - I don’t know what's going on with him. I think his father’s heart attack hit him really hard because…

Victoria - Because?

Sarah - He's back to his old self which I thought we had gotten past

Victoria - I had definitely noticed a positive difference in the past few weeks. The media certainly did.

Sarah - It was almost…. Nice

Victoria - Not something I ever thought you would say about Marcus

Sarah - And you will never hear me say it outside of this room.

Victoria - Maybe give it time to settle before you worry about him too much?

Sarah - I’m not worried about him, I am just concerned for the upcoming tour.

[raspadoris]

lindstrøm to everton østi to rennes………….rip scandinapoli forever in my heart